A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

Details

Neighbourhood: Strathcona
566 Powell St.
604-251-2020

Hours

Lunch 11:30am – 2:30pm Monday – Saturday
Dinner 5pm – 10pm Monday – Saturday

Gallery

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About Dosanko


It began with a single dish: nikujaga, a hearty stew comprised of meat, potatoes, and vegetables simmered in a sweetened soy sauce. Closely associated with Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost prefecture, and considered yoshoku, a “Japanized” interpretation of Western cooking, the meal was what Akiyo Tani first prepared chef Nathan Lowey when the couple met in Edmonton over 10 years ago. “Her food tasted like it was made by the Japanese grandmother I never had,” recalls Nathan. Delicious, comforting, and authentically Japanese—yet accessible for West Coast palates—the cuisine struck a chord with Nathan. The duo set out to share the food with the world.

Dosanko, then, is both a reflection of the Loweys’ mixed-family traditions and an ode to Akiyo’s native Hokkaido. Pairing recipes passed down from Akiyo’s kin and Nathan’s formal culinary training and experience cooking in some of Canada’s most highly regarded restaurants, Dosanko serves a selection of home-style, seasonally inspired yoshoku and classic Hokkaido plates with an emphasis on fresh housemade ingredients and a mottainai or “no waste” philosophy. We employ organic, locally sourced, and non-GMO foods whenever possible, and are dedicated to purchasing whole products and using every part. Ingredients like miso, shoyu, and dashi are all crafted from scratch in-house, helping to impart an incredible depth and richness to our dishes.

Situated in Vancouver’s historic Japantown, our cozy 45-seat dining room offers a gathering place for the city’s Japanese community, many of whom attend Canada’s oldest Japanese language school just blocks away. We chose the name “Dosanko” because it refers to a breed of horse that foraged the Hokkaido terrain when the Japanese settled on the island in the late 19th century. (The word is also a term of endearment for residents of the prefecture.) As foragers ourselves, we want to introduce Vancouverites to a new category of Japanese cuisine. Itadakimasu and we hope to see you soon!